I've built rods before -- fly and heavy surf spinning -- but I've never tackled a casting reel, and after 10 minutes with a blank catalog my head is swimming. I searched the message boards to see if this topic had come up before, and while I saw some similar threads, I didn't see one that answered all my questions.

I'd like to build a conventional rod that will be used as an all-purpose northeast inshore bait stick, for fluke, weakfish, blues, and stripers. I'll be mating a Penn International 965 baitcasting reel (spooled with 30 or 50 lb. braid) to the blank. The way the rod will be used most of the time is with a sinker (usually 2-4 oz, but occasionally heavier) and bait.

I'm not afraid to spend a little bit of money, but I would prefer to keep expenses as reasonable as possible. Any suggestions on which blank to choose would be greatly appreciated.

As a corollary, does anyone have any suggestions or guidance for dealing with the vertigo-inducing details of inshore casting blanks? When I started building surf rods, I found that a very, very useful rule of thumb was to use recommended lure weight when choosing a blank. An 8 or 9 foot blank rated 1/2 to 2 ounces would work as a plugging rod; a 12', 6-16 oz. stick would be better put to use as an extra-heavy bait heaver.

But when I looked at the inshore rods, most didn't have recommended lure weights. Does this mean that I should assume that they all can handle whatever size sinker I need to use, whether it's 2 or 6 or 10 ounces? Is there some code that I'm missing out on?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Shame that they don't put lure weight ranges in there, it would be helpful.

Inshore plugging can be done with a pretty darn wide variety of rod blanks. What length rod are you wanting to go with? If you can provide that info then I think you'll get a lot more replies. I know guys who use very heavy power, but fast action bass type spinning and casting blanks. I've done some of these with Loomis L904 and L905 blanks, but this is going back 10 or more years and I don't even know if those models are still around.

Anyway, if you can provide a bit more in the way of specifics, I think we can help. Length would be a big help.

..........

"I'd like to build a conventional rod that will be used as an all-purpose northeast inshore bait stick, for fluke, weakfish, blues, and stripers. I'll be mating a Penn International 965 baitcasting reel (spooled with 30 or 50 lb. braid) to the blank. The way the rod will be used most of the time is with a sinker (usually 2-4 oz, but occasionally heavier) and bait." -Chris Garrity.

BATSON ENTERPRISES' "RAINSHADOW" or "FORECAST" Rod Blanks offer a variety of Series that can give you the sort of rod blank that you are looking for. All BATSON'S rod blanks specifications are fully available and can be readily searched at www.FishSticks4U.com. And RainShadow Rod Blanks, especially the RX-7 or RX-6 Graphites, offer a great performance value at very economical prices ($60-70), IMO. -Cliff Hall+++, Gainesville, FL-USA*****

In fact, some of these RainsShadow RX7 Musky / Saltwater Rod Blanks are available in an OLIVE GREEN Finish, and these Olive Green RS-RX7 IMU rod blanks are being closed-out at a 30% discount! The cart will show regular prices, but you will only be charged the discounted price. That discount can reduce the basket price to ~ $45.

www.FISHSTICKS4U.com
Robert Tignor ... (804) 746-0053 ...
Best Bet / Home Office: (804) 746-9711 ...

BLANKS LINK
[fishsticks4u.com]

RAINSHADOW
[fishsticks4u.com]

RainShadow Musky / Saltwater Rod Blanks
[fishsticks4u.com]


Chris, a wide variety of choices may work well for you. But to narrow things down considerably, take a look at these two Musky Rod Blanks. They both have fast, responsive rod tips for casting bait or bucktails / diamond jigs, + enough backbone to set hooks and turn the heads of your quarry. RainShadow RX7: IMU-87"-6 or IMU-90"-7. Olive Green finish Model # ends in a "G".


RainShadow RX7 Musky / Saltwater Rod Blanks (Matte Clear)
Features:
• RX7 Intermediate Modulus (43 million), High Strain Rate graphite
• Fast actions
• Durable, yet light weight designs
• Models for every Musky technique
• Great for many saltwater applications also
• Limited Lifetime Warranty

IMO (CMH), This RS-IMU series offers a variety of lengths, lure ratings, line ratings and powers, and is versatile enough to cover most Mid-Atlantic inshore saltwater species & methods of fishing with a Penn International 965 Bait-casting Reel, spooled with 30 or 50 lb. braid, dropping or throwing 2-4 oz.

Part # ... Color ... Length ... Pcs
Line Wt. ... Lure Wt. ... Butt ... Tip
Action ... Power ... Blank Wt ... Price ... Add

IMU876: RX7 Graphite Musky / Saltwater Rod Blanks
IMU876 ... Matte Clear ... 7'3" ... 1-piece
17-40lb. ... 3/4-3oz. ... 0.760" ... 7.0 / 64ths
Fast Action ... Med-Hvy Power ... 3.45oz. ... $59.00 ... Add

IMU907: RX7 Graphite Musky / Saltwater Rod Blanks
IMU907 ... Matte Clear ... 7'6" ... 1-piece
25-50lb. ... 1-5oz. ... 0.820" ... 9.0 / 64ths
Fast Action ... Heavy Power ... 4.33oz. ... $67.00
(Sold out in the Olive Green close-out; t'was only $47.)


Chris, I hope this gives you some more confidence in selecting a rod blank. Contact Robert Tignor at FS4U if you need more specific models for your intended application. Just keep in mind that even very versatile rod blanks, like those recommended above, can only be as "exactly what you want" as you are able to "exactly specify what you want." ... Depending on the power rating you want, you can hardly go wrong with either of these rod blanks, or the others in this IMU series. ...

If it were me, and if most of the fish were around or under 10 pounds, in less than 30 feet of water and away from line-cutting structure, then I might prefer the lighter rod, the IMU-87-6. ... It's up to you. ... IMO, -Cliff Hall+++, Gainesville, FL-USA*****



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2006 03:24AM by Cliff Hall.

Thanks for the responses. Whatever blank I end up deciding on, I will definitely get it from one of the sponsors here.

As far as length, I'm relatively open-minded. I suppose that ideally the rod would be in the 6 1/2 - 7 1/2 foot range, but I would be willing to use another length blank if it offered more versatility in terms of sinker sizes it could handle. I would, though, prefer to avoid buying a longer rod and cutting it down -- with my lack of mechanical skills I'd probably end up ruining the blank.

I I'll go home tonight, put on a green eyeshade, crack a beer, and pore over a couple of catalogs. And thanks for the recommendations, Cliff - I'll definitely take a look at your website and check out the blanks you suggest.

The only thing I'd add at this point, is that you not hold too closely to the catalog category headings. You can use blanks that carry something other than the "inshore" type designation. A 7 foot rod capable of throwing up to a couple ounces might put you in the "musky" rod category, or even heavy bass. So just look at some of the categories and see what you can find. The best blank for your purpose might be sold under something other than an "inshore" or even "saltwater" designation.

............

Chris look at the Lami CGBT 84 1ML it is a good all around 7', 20lb blank. it is a little heavy for fluke and a little light for bass and blues but it is the closest you can come to an all around rod without having a rod for each. I have several customers that i built that rod for that purpose and they love it.

Thanks, Rick -- that blank looks great. I'm still going to go home and pour a cold one and go through the catalog, but that's a big help.

Chris,
Rick is very correct in that our biggest seller in that series for Bass is the Medium and our best seller for Fluke is the Light. Sooooo I guess if you were looking for a blank to fill both areas the Med/Light would be your best bet. That blank has become quite popular here in the NW for keeper Sturgeon because of the light tip and robust butt section.

Thanks Rick and Chris,

Todd

Regards,
Todd Vivian
Mud Hole Custom Tackle

todd@mudhole.com

GUSA is another manufacturer with some really spiffy rod blanks.
Billy Vivona has built on several of these models. I have not - yet.
A recent RBO Thread had a long discussion of "Multi-Modulus"

Mullti-Modulus Blanks Andy Dear Nov. 30, 2005 12:21
[www.rodbuilding.org]
Andy Dear is "ThreadMaster" & "Lamar"
Emory Harry (Elec.Eng.) and Mark Gibson (Material Engineer)

GUSA - Graphite USA Blanks
[fishsticks4u.com]

GUSA - 100% Multi Modulus Casting Blanks
[fishsticks4u.com]

GUSA - 100% Multi Modulus Casting Blanks
GUSA-79F ... 7'9" ... 1-piece
0.700" ... 6.5 / 64ths ... 12-25# ... 1-3oz. ... 3.3oz. ...
Fast ... Mag-Med ... $116.95 at FS4U

Other lengths, actions & powers in this GUSA-Multi-Modulus Series (~$125 - $175). -Cliff Hall+++, Gainesville, FL-USA*****